Manufacturers and distributors of fragile, oddshaped articles such as lamps and objects d'art expend large amounts of money on the development of new packaging methods and containers for shipping and storage of the articles. The cost of the packaging is necessarily added into the purchase price of the article and borne by the consumer. Additionally, when the packaging fails and the article is damaged or destroyed, the expense of that loss is ultimately borne by the consumer. Thus, the packaging of the articles for storage and/or shipment becomes an important element in the pricing function of such merchandise.
Early approaches to the individual packaging of fragile or breakable items in cartons included the design of a plethora of cardboard reinforcing elements. Such elements were bent, folded and so squeezed in between the articles and the sides, top and bottom of the cartons as to prevent movement of the article in any direction. Such attempts were and are satisfactory from the standpoint of accomplishing the stabilizing purpose; however, they are very expensive and each product requires a redesign of the reinforcing elements. There is essentially no standardization for different articles. Styrofoam reinforcing elements have recently replaced the cardboard material, but the same problems of lack of standardization exists. In addition, many molds are required.
Shrink film packaging has now offered some solution to the problem. Examples of some of the prior art approaches to such packaging are in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,642,127; 3,675,765; and 4,030,603. These patents disclose the use of shrink film packaging to secure fragile articles such as lamps, motors, furniture in a stationary position within a container to prevent its being damaged by movement within the box. Most of these also disclose some type of separate reinforcement of the carton to strengthen against crushing when groups of packed containers are stacked one on top of another. However, certain deficiencies exist in these conventional packages which, until the present invention, have not been satisfactorily overcome.
Those deficiencies include the necessity of utilizating a much larger and frequently bulkier package than necessary in order to receive a variety of items. Alternatively, and equally unsatisfactory, is the customizing of a container for each specific article; both of these approaches being expensive. Further problems are ease of damage to the packaged article from blows or shock exterior to the container, and the necessity of providing a variety of inner packs and cushioning materials customized to the article and/or container. As previously stated, all of these deficiencies ultimately increase the cost of the article while simultaneously not being a substantial improvement to an unsatisfactory package.
The present invention, however, is believed to overcome the above cited deficiencies in that it provides a simple packaging container which is adaptable to a variety of articles, is compact and need be only slightly larger than the article contained within. Unique support in the form of flat plates or cushioning pads are provided so that within the basic outer container, the packaging may be easily customized to a given article. In its simplest and most general scope, the invention utilizes at least two spaced end panels and a heat shrink cover. As the film shrinks, the panels are urged together frictionally holding the article for horizontal movement in the carton. The bag is vertically stablized by gluing the bag to the carton or filling it with cushioning pads.
The support panels include flat or planar members inserted at the ends or between separable components of the article which merely prevent collapse of carton sidewalls. The cushioning pads include a pair of vertically spaced horizontal walls with adjoining sidewalls, which wall structure creates an inner air pocket or cushion. The air pocket serves as a cushion which will help absorb blows delivered from a vertical direction and vibrations potentially damaging to the article. The cushioning pads generally are placed under the bottom and over the top of fragile portions of the article, before shrink wrapping, for maximizing the cushioning effect.
The support panels and article to be packaged are secured together with a shrink film bag made from heat shrinkable material. When subjected to heat the film bag shrinks radially inwardly and also axially to pull the support panels together, frictionally stabilizing the article therebetween from movement in any direction. At that point the tightly wrapped article is placed in the outer container and one end secured by glue to the bottom of the carton. The support panels are of such a diameter relative to the inside diameter of the container as to fit snugly therein. Thus, the packed article is held securely in position and movement within the container in any direction is minimized.
With regard to prevention of damage by stacking packed containers on top of each other, the inner packing materials, i.e., support panels, are designed not only to cushion the article and prevent damage from dropping or falling, but also to decrease the likelihood of the outer container collapsing under the weight of other packages or from crushing blows and the like by supporting the container walls from within.
In a preferred embodiment both the outer container and the inner support panels are constructed from a relatively heavy weight corrugated paper product which is both strong and economical. Thus, the objects of the present invention include the provision of: a packaging container for fragile articles which is of an economical and simple construction adaptable for use with a variety of articles; a basic packaging container utilizing substantially the same inner packs and cushioning materials in a variety of combinations adaptable to a variety of articles; a packaging container requiring minimal space for warehousing and shipping; a packaging container providing reduced packaging time and materials cost, and a packaging container substantial enough to minimize damage to the contained article from sources exterior to the package. Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the following detailed description is studied in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which: